Mohammed Ali Road .....during Ramzan has been on my bucket list since ages..especially after watching gourmet shows on Discovery. ..TLC etc.And one day last week I walked straight into a conversation regarding plans to go there to eat amongst friends. Meghna Bhatia....forever indebted for your initiative and my second family Greshma Shetty and Hiresh Shetty....the couple whose enthusiasm rubs on to all around ,piled all of us into their car and off we went in pouring rain.....talkative little kiddos in tow Guys....its tasty as hell.....the floating in tonnes of oil...unhealthyly heavenly food served hot if you are not particular about the ambience. I decided there and then that I would drag my teenaged daughter and hubby here.And I did.....in a couple of days We parcelled the food....but my daughter got to see life at its noisiest and most colourful. How much we discriminate in the name of religion and culture!The politicians....religious bodies and media fan hatred for personal gains. No religion preaches violence....petty minds do, behind the garb of Gods teachings As my husband and I shielded our girls from the crowds and huddled along thru pouring rain in raincoats and umbrellas.....my cleanliness conscious daughter didnt feel the messy slush of mud that entered her crocs....she gaped at the beggarwomen plonked in the wet earth with a plastic sheet in one hand and the other hand outstretched to beg....Male blind beggars....limping with cane for support....blocked our paths...young boys of 7-8 years touched my kids on their shoulder and asked for food .I could see my children wince.....A horse carriage with a flashy silver carriage distracted them.....the stalls selling dry fruits....multicoloured gooey sweets held them transfixed.We dodged water trickling down from plastic sheets canopying the stalls. ..wet hair plastered to our face. .. At last passing lines of stalls selling meat of all kinds we reached the place we were looking for.....placed the order and waited for the parcel.My teenager excitedly clicked pics of the crowd. ..of the masjid....of the guys cooking food . I watched her knowing she would go back with memories.... The plastic water jugs....plates....tables...chairs....put everything else hygienic to shame....Men with surma lined eyes had my little one hiding behind me.And yes there is something scary when those lined eyes look at you.Ever observed? The shalwars of their pathan suits higher than their ankles....burqa clad women....with pretty faces laughing gaily and speaking fluent English had me smiling.The crowd was cosmopolitan....I saw Africans...people from the Middle East. ...Whites either European or American.....clicking pictures with their SLRs.Such place always gv scope for great frames. Dates in all forms ..dried...seedless....fresh.....fruits cut and stacked.....spices....skullcaps.....religious writings framed.....were being sold all around Its said very correctly that you can find true culture in the fairs and festivals...... Groups of potbellied policemen stood bored munching on something.I watched a policewoman sitting shoes removed. ..heavy payal over her socks...giggling as she conversed on her mobile.I wondered how safe we were with such lax security. But is one ever safe for that matter ???Naah...life takes sudden turns.I glared at a police guy,when our eyes met as he was lazing on a chair ,as if my one glare would straighten up all the police force of the nation ,being paid by our tax money. Oh as we were observing all this our food arrived. ..piping hot and fragrant.....My younger one announced she hated the place and would never come again....the teenager was clicking selfies...and we parents balanced pkts of food...umbrellas...and our patience as the crowds jostled....the rains poured...and the earth below our feet got slushier.Just then the muazzin called for namaz and we could hear the prayers and we looked up as if we would find him on one of the minarets of the brightly lit mosque.There was a lot of green colour around.....red for the tandoor stuff on skewers.....brown of the earth...orange and white of the sweets dripping in sugary syrup and ghee.I said a silent prayer for my heart and stomach the two organs which would bear the brunt of my enthusiastic buying and gorging of this Ramzan food.When I asked my driver if I should get him some....he looked at me with a shocked expression through the rear view mirror and shook his head to say no.Shocked bcos he a devout Hindu from UP didnt know what had come on his madam to come here to buy food.:))Also we saw national integration when a cab had Divine Jesus bless us in the front.....pooja written on the pane behind and was ferrying muslims in the masjid area.We smiled our proud Indian smile(how patriotic can writings get...that one even has a smile of ones nationality.:P) How we discriminate!!!Dont make friends.....call names....streotype and like to hate people who are different from us...in culture.....country or religion. The horse carriage filled with an excited family came again and this time we noticed the skinny horse ....mal nourished. .almost limping on painful legs.His trot reminded me of some elderly aunties who suffer from aching arthritic knees. Yet inspite of all this I was excitedly exchanging notes with an equally excited teenager of mine. ....so much to see....learn and thus experience. ...another beautiful aspect of being Indian......a nationality which allows one to grow up amidst so many religions. Iam happy that my wish that my girls growing up amidst gadget armed friends.....citizens with little patience and respect for other religions......political gimmicks and media insensitivity .....learn and accept that being human ...passionate and accomodating is the greatest religion of all. And the food was yummmmmmyyy......such that even after you washed your hands.....the lingering smell of it on your palms .....had your mouth watering again....and the greasyness needed a lot of lathering of soap before it left your fingers.You know what I mean?? Go there once and experience it for yourself and oh.....eat the rotis while they are hot or else it feels like your poor teeth are pulling at a piece of leather.;)Not everything can be right....can it???
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 15:22:23 +0000